Integrating innovation and competency-based education in the development of a new direct-entry master of science in nursing program.

There has been a call for nursing programs to shift to Competency-based education (CBE). Competency-based education has numerous benefits in nursing education. A curriculum that includes both concepts and competencies helps students and stakeholders understand what new nurse graduates will be able to do with the knowledge they construct throughout the program. Competency-based education is student-centered, flexible, and dependent on students actively engaging in their learning. A small faculty team developed a new direct-entry MSN program, based on essential components of CBE. This article describes the process of incorporating CBE into the development of the program, as well as challenges and barriers to fully implementing CBE into the curriculum.

The relationship between faculty diversity and workplace civility in nursing education: A correlational analysis.

AIM: The aim of this study was to explore the relationship between faculty diversity and workplace civility in nursing programs. BACKGROUND: Diversity is needed in healthcare and in nursing education. A diverse workforce contributes to positive organizational culture and optimal learning environments for students and faculty in nursing programs. However, nursing faculty with diverse backgrounds often experience incivility more often than the rest of the population. Effects of incivility for all faculty can be detrimental and commonly include both physical and emotional symptoms. Civility encompasses respect for diversity and inclusion. It involves consistent, intentional acts to welcome and celebrate individual differences as well as different ways of thinking and acting. The relationship between level of faculty diversity and workplace civility has not previously been studied. Understanding this relationship will be an important step in increasing workplace civility in nursing education. DESIGN: Correlational design METHODS: Nursing faculty (n=528) from across the United States completed the Workplace Incivility/Civility Survey (WICS). Participants were grouped based on their self-reported level of faculty diversity at the nursing program where they were employed. Several questions from the WICS were analyzed to determine the experience and perceived incidence of incivility by the faculty participants. Descriptive statistics were used to calculate means and frequencies for the survey questions and Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to determine if significant relationships existed between variables. RESULTS: A significant negative correlation was found between the level of faculty diversity and workplace incivility. As faculty diversity increased, workplace incivility decreased. CONCLUSIONS: Nursing programs with more diverse faculty tend to have lower levels of workplace incivility. Nursing program administrators should make every effort to diversify their faculty body.

The Effects of Clinical Immersion on Readiness for Nursing Practice.

BACKGROUND: Traditional clinical education does not prepare future nurses well for practice. Clinical immersion models are recommended to enhance critical thinking, clinical judgment, and confidence with nursing roles and skills. This study explored the effects of implementing an innovative clinical immersion model on readiness for nursing practice for accelerated Bachelor of Science in nursing students. METHOD: The Casey-Fink readiness for practice survey was used to determine graduate students' confidence and comfort with nursing roles and skills based on descriptive statistics for each survey question. RESULTS: Study results indicated students who experienced the clinical immersion model had high levels of confidence with nursing roles and felt prepared for practice. CONCLUSION: Nursing programs should consider implementing clinical immersion models in undergraduate nursing education programs. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(1):47-50.].